Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools

Collaborative Learning in the Online Environment

Every learner brings something different to the class. In this program, we have teachers who teach primary, secondary and college level courses. Additionally, we have teachers who teach in the classroom, hybrid, or completely online. So interaction between these groups will vary depending on the topic discussed. For instance, if we are discussing how to integrate technology in the classroom, information provided by a primary teacher would not be of interest to me because I teach only online college level courses. I would not be able to apply those methods to my students, nor do I understand what it is like to teach that age group, so my response to this posting may lack the higher level thinking defined by the rubric. Instead of requiring students to respond to two other classmates initial postings, possibly use Swan’s advice to “Require discussion participants to respond to their classmates postings &/or to respond to all responses to their own postings” (Swan, 2004, p. 2). In some discussions, I would learn more by elaborating on my topic and responding to my classmates questions about that topic. Through a discussion, they may be able to help me expand my thinking on the topic.

In Edutechtalks blog dated January 1, 2010, they indicate that course design and teaching methods are tied to  the assessment of the students. “Assessment is central to defining and measuring the degree to which a learner achieves stated learning objectives” (Edutechtalks, 2010). The learning objectives are defined and carried out through the curriculum and linked to the teaching style presented by the instructor. So how do we know these learning objectives are met? We assess the students. This is a vicious circle, so as instructors it is our responsibility to ensure we are providing enough information to the students to ensure they understand what is expected of them in the course.  California State University provides a rubric for creating an online course. Michigan State University has a great Website with tips for designing online courses.

Students who do not want to participate in online collaboration will not only lose the points of the required assignment, they will also lose an important learning opportunity. Learning online does not have to be done alone if you make the effort to communicate with others in your class. These students should be encouraged to participate. Recently, in an online course I am teaching, a student posted that she is shy and does not like to make postings or use social networking tools. Several of the students posted encouraging remarks. I also posted a comment encouraging her to get to know the others in the class and begin participating. It is now the last week of the class and she is doing great. She indicated she is “coming out of her shell” and becoming more comfortable with the process. This change in behavior will make her a more successful student in the online environment.

Edutechtalks. (2010). Assessing Collaborative Efforts. Retrieved from http://edutechtalks.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/assessing-collaborative-efforts/

Swan, K. (2004). Relationships between interactions and learning in online environments. The Sloan Consortium.

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